Tag Archives: hmc

Apple Rival Google Revs Up Android Auto, Targets Infotainment

Aiming to shoot past  Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) CarPlay, Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google hopes to woo auto makers with its new Android N operating system, which can be used in infotainment systems, as well as smartphones. Google unveiled an “auto-centric” variant of Android N at its Google I/O developer’s conference on Wednesday. Google also announced that Android Auto will include the Waze traffic app as part of its navigation system. “This is very important, as the major screen projection systems (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) have relegated the user to only the native navigation Apple or Google map application, but the Waze application has tremendous popularity,” Egil Juliussen, an analyst at research firm IHS Automotive, said in a report. Apple and Google have revved up efforts to integrate their smartphone technologies with auto communications systems. QNX Software Systems, a subsidiary of BlackBerry ( BBRY ), has also pushed into Web-connected infotainment and telematics systems, along with AT&T ( T ). Apple and Google have faced challenges because of the lengthy design cycles for autos. While Apple’s CarPlay technology is built around its iOS software, some automakers have preferred open-sourced technologies, analysts say. At the developer’s conference, Google showcased the Android N software working in a Maserati Ghibli equipped with a 15-inch screen. Google said it has added Wi-Fi capability to “Android Auto,” a move Apple took in 2015. IHS Automotive says Android software has been built into infotainment systems on new Honda ( HMC ) and Renault vehicles. “ General Motors ( GM ) and Harman ( HAR ) announced a tie-up to build Android-based infotainment systems for GM vehicles,” said the IHS report. “This $900 million contract will (create) a new next-generation infotainment system powered by Android by the end of 2016 — it’s possible that those vehicles will be powered by this (Android N) embedded system.”

‘Record Breaking’ Model 3 Order Frenzy Sends Tesla To 6-Month High

Loading the player… Tesla Motors ( TLSA ) stock hit its highest level since October at the start of trade Friday, after its Model 3 reveal Thursday night proved to be a hit. The electric car maker has already received 180,000 orders for the $35,000 car in the first 24 hours, far more than Wall Street expected. That has prompted analysts to raise their order projections, with Global Equities Research seeing over 300,000 pre-orders through the first weekend. The analyst said that $10 billion worth of reservations would set a world record for pre-orders for a consumer tech company. The mass-market car has some of the same features as its luxury counterparts, including supercharging and autopilot. The Model 3 also comes with a 215-mile battery charge, and can go from zero to 60 in less than six seconds. And with customers lining up to make their reservations as if they were in line for the latest Apple ( AAPL ) iPhone, analysts expect this car to dominate its price category. Shares gapped up nearly 8% in heavy volume Friday morning to hit their highest level in six months, close to 250, before paring their gains to a 2.4% rise in the early afternoon. Tesla has been finding support at the 200-day line over the last few sessions, and the stock is now trading about 18% below its high reached last July. Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated Thursday night that he expects Model 3 deliveries to begin on time, before the end of next year. That’s about a year after GM ’s ( GM ) Chevy Bolt is expected to enter production. But Global Equities Research said that the “Model 3 has been designed for the iPhone generation consumer,” and “there is no way BMW, Porsche, GM, Toyota ( TM ), Honda ( HMC ) or any other existing auto manufacturer can even come close to competing with Tesla Model 3.” But what if Apple decides to make its own car? Guess we’ll have to wait to find out. Apple rose fractionally Friday, while GM and Toyota lost nearly 3%, and Honda dropped about 4%, as most automakers reported weaker-than-expected March U.S. auto sales.

Self-Driving Cars: China’s Come To U.S.; Automakers Adopt Braking

Self-driving cars are inching forward with developments this week — 20 automakers say they’ll add automatic emergency braking by 2022, and China’s Baidu ( BIDU ) will reportedly soon start testing its autonomous cars in the U.S. As about the whole car industry gets into the game, the quest to create a self-driving vehicle puts Chinese Internet search leader Baidu in a tech-development drag race with global search leader Google. The unit of parent firm Alphabet ( GOOGL ) has been developing self-driving vehicles for years. Baidu aims to become a cutting-edge automaker and have its automated vehicles in distribution in 2018, says a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal. The latest  move by Baidu  comes as U.S. auto safety regulators say that 20 automakers have pledged to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on nearly all U.S. vehicles by 2022, a move that could prevent thousands of rear-end accidents each year – and ensure that the companies aren’t left in the dust as car technology advances. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hailed the voluntary commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99% of U.S. vehicle sales. Companies including General Motors ( GM ), Ford ( F ), Toyota ( TM ), Volkswagen ( VLKAY ), Daimler ( DDAIF ), Nissan Motor ( NSANY ) and Honda Motor ( HMC ) have signed on. While Apple ( AAPL ) has been widely reported to be among those in the self-driving car game, the company hasn’t confirmed any involvement. Baidu stock rose 0.2% to 183.44  in the stock market today . Apple stock fell 0.2% to 105.80. Mobileye ( MBLY ) stock appeared to benefit after news of the emergency braking standard emerged on Wednesday, soaring 9.5%. Mobileye, a maker of autonomous car technology, saw its stock rise 1.4% Thursday. Since its IPO last August, Mobileye stock has jumped 48% from its IPO price of 25. Mobileye has said millions of vehicles include its system as it works with BMW and automakers such as Tesla Motors ( TSLA ), GM and Honda. Along with Mobileye, NXP Semiconductors ( ), Nvidia ( NVDA ), Ambarella ( AMBA ) and others are partnering with automakers to develop chips and other technology needed for self-driving cars. German automaker BMW said in September 2014 that it had teamed up with Baidu to create self-driving cars. At that time, BMW said its project with Baidu was designed to achieve “accident-free mobility” while enhancing comfort and efficiency for drivers in China, the world’s top car-producing nation. Baidu already provides Internet cloud services to BMW as well as mapping services through Baidu Maps, BMW said then. On Tuesday, the chief of self-driving car development at Google told a U.S. Senate panel that “Congress has a huge opportunity to help ensure that self-driving cars can be safely deployed at scale,” as the Alphabet subsidiary and others attempt to fast-track development of the technology. Chris Urmson, director of the self-driving car program at Google X, was among those who testified at the hearing that was convened by U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The hearing came a month after one of Google’s self-driving cars hit a municipal bus in California. Google has said new software changes will avoid future incidents. In a report last year, Boston Consulting Group cautioned that self-driving cars won’t likely appear widely on roads until 2025, but the technology could emerge sooner in automated ride-sharing services in city centers. This week’s U.S. government hearing included testimony from GM and ride-sharing company Lyft, which are in a partnership to develop self-driving cars. Driverless trucks and cars will be tested soon in the U.K., according to a BBC report on Thursday.